Love and Prayers in the Holy Land

Where Jesus Prayed: Illuminating The Lord’s Prayer in the Holy LandDanielle Shroyer

On my initial visits to the Holy Land I felt under-mapped. Overlaid on every piece of terrain I visited there were lines and boundaries – some seen, (like the security barrier that snakes along as fence and concrete wall), some unseen, (like the real and present divisions between Palestinian and Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem). I was always uncertain of the significance of the land where I was standing.

A Second Shot of Coffee With JesusDavid Wilkie

In college I became acquainted with the writings of Henri Nouwen, who quickly became one of my favorite authors. The thing about Nouwen is the simplicity with which he writes. Much of Nouwen’s writings are quick to read, and easy to comprehend, yet at the same time he communicates deep truths that will keep one thinking for days.

Like Nouwen, Wilkie is gifted at causing me to think for days, even weeks with a few sort sentences. One can easily pick up A Second Shot of Coffee With Jesus and read through it rather quickly, and unlike more complicated works, reading through this quickly does not hinder comprehension and retention.

Two excerpts from the book:

I’ve heard a good deal of complaining recently about how they aren’t many good kids books related to the Christian holiday of Easter. Not about spring, and cute bunnies and ducklings, but about the Easter story.

The church of the global south, where the vast majority of Christians are, is usually not the first place we Western Christians consult about our theological questions. We necessarily employ a variety of sources, pre-understandings, and experiences for theological reflection, but rarely among them is what our sisters and brothers in Africa, or Latin American, or Asia think.

There is an historical reason for this: colonialism, the premise that it is our job to tell them what to believe and practice about God, not the other way around.